DazedAndConfused

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Posts by DazedAndConfused

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  13

  Anonymously disclosing location

  by Mickey mouse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had an idea last night and thought i would see how others feel about it.. i would just love to know if there are members of jwd in my area.

  unfortunately like so many others i cannot give too much away as i am still "in" for family reasons.

  i was thinking, would it work if we created some of those maps where you can pin your location but do it anonymously (i.e not using our jwd i.d as a reference)?

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  DazedAndConfused

  I am sure you can put it on the map however you want to. Annonymous is almost as good as a JWD ID.
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  13

  Anonymously disclosing location

  by Mickey mouse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had an idea last night and thought i would see how others feel about it.. i would just love to know if there are members of jwd in my area.

  unfortunately like so many others i cannot give too much away as i am still "in" for family reasons.

  i was thinking, would it work if we created some of those maps where you can pin your location but do it anonymously (i.e not using our jwd i.d as a reference)?

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  DazedAndConfused

  I know a couple of years ago (?) there was a map, although we used our JWD names for the most part. Maybe someone can show you the link as I have changed computers since then and lost the link.
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  9

  what about giving dubs a checklist of what makes a cult when they call ?

  by looloo in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  if you had some leaflets printed out and when a dub knocked on your door you could pretend you are doing research into religions and cults ,and you are searching for truth but want to be carefull not to get involved with a cult , give them a leaflet and ask them to check whether their religion fits any of the categorys , then watch them either outright lie to you or watch them look more horrified each one they read , maybe you could try it on your family thats in too .

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  DazedAndConfused

  I put into a seach engine "Cult checklist" and came up with this:

  http://www.csj.org/infoserv_cult101/checklis.htm

  Characteristics Associated with Cultic Groups - Revised

  Janja Lalich, Ph.D. & Michael D. Langone, Ph.D.

  Concerted efforts at influence and control lie at the core of cultic groups, programs, and relationships. Many members, former members, and supporters of cults are not fully aware of the extent to which members may have been manipulated, exploited, even abused. The following list of social-structural, social-psychological, and interpersonal behavioral patterns commonly found in cultic environments may be helpful in assessing a particular group or relationship.

  Compare these patterns to the situation you were in (or in which you, a family member, or friend is currently involved). This list may help you determine if there is cause for concern. Bear in mind that this list is not meant to be a “cult scale” or a definitive checklist to determine if a specific group is a cult. This is not so much a diagnostic instrument as it is an analytical tool.

  ? The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.

  ? Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

  ? Mind-altering practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).

  ? The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry—or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth).

  ? The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar—or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity).

  ? The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.

  ? The leader is not accountable to any authorities (unlike, for example, teachers, military commanders or ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream religious denominations).

  ? The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members' participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group (for example, lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities).

  ? The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt iin order to influence and/or control members. Often, this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion.

  ? Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the group.

  ? The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.

  ? The group is preoccupied with making money.

  ? Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities.

  ? Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.

  ? The most loyal members (the “true believers”) feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.

  This checklist will be published in the new book, Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships by Janja Lalich and Madeleine Tobias (Berkeley: Bay Tree Publishing, 2006). It was adapted from a checklist originally developed by Michael Langone.

  Resources

  Langone, Michael, Ph.D.: "Definitional Ambiguity"
  Langone, Michael, Ph.D.: "On Using the Term "Cult"

  I think that the area where there are places to make checkmarks is a good start. If a person were to use this I would say it is needed to state where this info comes from. Adding the Resources is also a good thing.
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  13

  Dancing girl test which way is she spinning for you?

  by Hope4Others in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  it's the great right brain vs left brain test ... do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?

  if clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the... brain and vice versa.

  most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it.

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  DazedAndConfused

  Interesting 'test.' I watch and actually see her changing directions as she spins. I think that what is happening is this video is set up with the average times a person blinks their eyes. If this is the case then most people would blink when they change her direction. I don't blink as much as some others so I can win staring contests. Sorry, I digress, I think that I can see it happening because I don't blink as much as most people do.
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  7

  'High' on Mount Sinai?

  by Rabbit in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080304/od_nm/moses_dc_1 back to story - helphigh on mount sinai?

  tue mar 4, 11:06 am et .

  the biblical israelites may have been high on a hallucinogenic plant when moses brought the ten commandments down from mount sinai, according to a new study by an israeli psychology professor.. writing in the british journal time and mind, benny shanon of jerusalem's hebrew university said two plants in the sinai desert contain the same psychoactive molecules as those found in plants from which the powerful amazonian hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca is prepared.. the thunder, lightning and blaring of a trumpet which the book of exodus says emanated from mount sinai could just have been the imaginings of a people in an "altered state of awareness," shanon hypothesized.. "in advanced forms of ayahuasca inebriation, the seeing of light is accompanied by profound religious and spiritual feelings," shanon wrote.. "on such occasions, one often feels that in seeing the light, one is encountering the ground of all being ... many identify this power as god.".

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  DazedAndConfused

  Rabbit, what about the book of Daniel?
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  7

  'High' on Mount Sinai?

  by Rabbit in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080304/od_nm/moses_dc_1 back to story - helphigh on mount sinai?

  tue mar 4, 11:06 am et .

  the biblical israelites may have been high on a hallucinogenic plant when moses brought the ten commandments down from mount sinai, according to a new study by an israeli psychology professor.. writing in the british journal time and mind, benny shanon of jerusalem's hebrew university said two plants in the sinai desert contain the same psychoactive molecules as those found in plants from which the powerful amazonian hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca is prepared.. the thunder, lightning and blaring of a trumpet which the book of exodus says emanated from mount sinai could just have been the imaginings of a people in an "altered state of awareness," shanon hypothesized.. "in advanced forms of ayahuasca inebriation, the seeing of light is accompanied by profound religious and spiritual feelings," shanon wrote.. "on such occasions, one often feels that in seeing the light, one is encountering the ground of all being ... many identify this power as god.".

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  DazedAndConfused

  For a couple of years now I have been telling my 'never was a JW' hubby that what is written in the Bible was written by people on the most fantastic drugs imaginable! This only confirms that.

  On the downside....he wanted to be a Minister when he was younger so that did not go over well, as you can imagine.
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  24

  I was not prepared for the other side

  by dazednotconfused in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  friends:.

  long time lurker, very occasional poster.

  i have done the fade thing for 4 years now, and have not attended a meeting in over 2 years.

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  DazedAndConfused

  StAnn....for shame. I am called DNC. LOL
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  24

  I was not prepared for the other side

  by dazednotconfused in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  friends:.

  long time lurker, very occasional poster.

  i have done the fade thing for 4 years now, and have not attended a meeting in over 2 years.

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  DazedAndConfused

  <=== <==== notice our names....so similar?

  I can empathise with you on so many levels. Keep hanging in there, your time will come.....I promise.

  Keep watching and posting, great therapy.
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  6

  Pioneer Corner

  by FadingAway in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this video is imho pretty funny.... goto http://www.chewbear.com/pc.html and click on the "pioneer corner" link.

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  DazedAndConfused

  BTW, do you know who did this?
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  6

  Pioneer Corner

  by FadingAway in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this video is imho pretty funny.... goto http://www.chewbear.com/pc.html and click on the "pioneer corner" link.

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  DazedAndConfused

  I agree it was long but I have spent many hours watching television that was less entertaining. I loved it, too many things that struck me to comment on. Great video from start to finish. 2 thumbs up!!